Just in~

I am new.. Er, so hi? I've been looking for a good site for healthy Japanese recipes and this was the best one I've found. (Everything else more or less didn't provide enough information, and that aside, I haven't really found one that had you get active with it. In this case here, the forms.)
I've gotten my mother into Japanese food. I bought a book recently titled, "Japanese Women don't get Fat, Old, or Ugly." The book was very lovely. The author provided a lot of wonderful information, plus the fact that she even wrote it in such an encouraging way. I forced my mother to read it, and she did. (It's shocking, she usually doesn't read..)
And it was with that we decided to try a Japanese diet together. She was doing well, and had lost about 10lbs before, for some reason, she broke it, and gained all of it back.

Case in point, I am running around trying to find ways that I can get her back on the diet. Now, she started walking on the treadmill (Mine,) and riding bikes with me. (Which she doesn't seem to enjoy, but whatever.) Still, she's not eating right. And that's why I'm here. For my mom, who I want to be healthy.. (And I want to do it with her, because you just feel so amazing after eating a healthy meal, and not a hamburger.)

Sorry for the long rant. Just had to get that off my chest. No one really needs to read it, or will not anyway, but I'm getting to the main part of this introduction..

I hope you will all welcome me here, and not mind the fact that I'm just a high school student? I can't be the only one here.
Hello, everyone.

Of course we don't mind you ranting, and yes there are other high school students - I think that is a great time to be taking charge of your own eating. It means you learn good habits early. And Maki, at least, reads everything that goes on the forum.

Welcome to Just Bento, we look forward to hearing more about your "get Mom healthy" project.

Hi Miyu, and welcome! Good on you for trying to help your mom eat healthier, though if she won't change her ways, don't get too upset about it...it's sometimes hard for people, especially adults, to change habits of a lifetime. If you can set a good example for her, and get healthy and fit yourself, that would probably be the best incentive for her! And, welcome the the forums :)

Thank you both for welcoming me. :)
(And thank you Maki, for your wonderful site.)
Yeah, my mom wants to be healthy, she just doesn't have the right mind set I guess? I hope you're right, Maki. I'm definitely going to try and see if my way tempts her. After all, the food looks and is I'm sure delicious.
(I personally wanna try the Mitarashi Dango) Actually, there's a lot of food I want to try... ;D Better get started.

Yes, I think back to my son trying to make me stop smoking! Right from when he was about six. I finally gave up all by myself when he was 32. Parents can be so stupid. You just have to live with it and set a good example.

Welcome, Miyu!
I think it's really great that you want to encourage your mother to eat more healthily. I think the word 'diet' can conjure up all sorts of fears about 'how am I going to keep this up?' - a diet has to be just that - what you eat on a daily basis, your plan for life, not just a quick fix and I'm glad that you've realised this. I think Maki's right, it is hard for people to change the habit of a lifetime, but try encouraging your Mom to replace some meals with healthier ones, to make it more of a natural thing. I often go for whole weeks where every meal I eat is 'japanese-type' in nature, but I don't berate myself when I stop and eat other things as I know that variety is the spice of life. (Mind you, a week of bento lunches does wonders, but when I get busy I fall into my old habits or miss meals...that is definitely something I need to work on!)
That said, there is a lot to be said for the health benefits of Japanese style cuisine, but you don't have to overhaul your life, it can just be one aspect of your diet. I hope you help your Mom to improve her eating habits, and hope that Just Bento can help you!

Thank you for the site suggestion. I'll keep it in mind and check it out. :)

I know it's hard for adults. Which is why I'm not totally being too complicated with her. However, I did tell her about the "Bento box" idea, and I think she has it in her head this is just me trying my experiment with different cultures. It's not far from the truth, I must admit, but she did agree to do it with me. ;) Phase one, complete. Haha..
I broke out of my Coffee habit, however don't see her doing that. I did also manage to get her to eat Special K cereal with light soy milk. Hehe, hopefully this is the start of a beautiful diet. One can only hope. I certainly feel better. :) And thank you all again. I hope to be an active member of this community.